


A tree’s greatest strength lies in its roots

by tallestgirlonearth



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Episode 22x06 The Long Arm of the Witness, Episode Related, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:15:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28957782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tallestgirlonearth/pseuds/tallestgirlonearth
Summary: Sonny's never been ashamed of his roots. He’s had a good childhood and he loves his family dearly. The Carisi’s, these are the people who made him, who shaped him, and who helped him to get where he is now.But damn, right now, he wonders whether he truly belongs here. Luckily, there's someone who'll remind him.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 57





	A tree’s greatest strength lies in its roots

**Author's Note:**

> I watched the latest SVU episode, The Long Arm of the Witness, and man I was MAD at that judge. So I got thinking, what if we assume that Barisi have been a couple for a while, how would Rafi comfort Sonny after all the shit Gallagher threw at him? Then I word-vomited and wrote this in an hour.
> 
> Sit back and enjoy and have some un-betaed fluff and honest talk about scumbags and feelings.

“Screw him,” Sonny says, clicking his briefcase shut and storming out of the room in a show of determination.

Inside, though, he doesn’t feel determination or resolve. His heart is pounding wildly, there’s a rush in his ears and his stomach is in knots. Olivia is looking at him with concern and he’s sure she can see right through him.

Screw Gallagher.

Screw the case.

He needs to get out of here.

In the safety of his office, door shut and blinds closed, Sonny allows himself to collapse into his chair.

He’s not dumb and he knew that taking on a judge was a risky move, even if you had all the evidence to back you up, and he didn’t. He had credible victims, an outcry witness and a pattern, but there were no rape kits, no official investigations to fall back on, and worst of all, there seemed to be no way to get past the old boy network of well-to-do East Coast families.

He's never been ashamed of his roots. He’s had a good childhood and he loves his family dearly. The Carisi’s, these are the people who made him, who shaped him, and who helped him to get where he is now.

But damn, right now, he wonders whether he truly belongs here.

Even when he was shipped from precinct to precinct, he never felt this left out.

Sonny doesn’t know how long he’s sitting there, trying to get himself under control. Eventually, he begins sorting through his files. There’s still a trial to prepare and he can’t afford to lose. He has to get it right, he has to prove that he _can_ , not just to the women, but to Gallagher, to Olivia, to Rita, to _himself._ The notebooks Fin provided may give them the break they needed, because they are the beginning of a paper trail that was then suppressed, both by Gallagher himself and his network. He doesn’t even notice how much time passes and only looks up when his phone rings.

One look at the caller ID is enough to make his stomach flutter for entirely different reasons.

“Rafi, hey.”

“Hey yourself, counsellor.”

A smile steals across Sonny’s face. His partner loves to use his title, even though the novelty _has_ worn off a little, and it warms Sonny’s heart to hear the pride in Rafael’s voice when he addresses him like that.

“Still at work, I take it?”

“Yeah”, Sonny sighs, “and I think I’ll be a while longer. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry”, Rafael is quick to assure him. “I know how it goes. I was thinking, with you working late and all, what do you say to not cooking and ordering from Tasca instead?”

Ah.

Tasca is one of their staples, a casually elegant restaurant serving amazing Latin-Caribbean cuisine. It’s also the place they first went to eat at while exploring their new neighbourhood after moving in together. Their food is to die for and it gives them both comfort – for Rafael, it’s a taste of Cuba, the home he never knew, and for Sonny it’s a facet of the man he loves.

That being said, there is only one reason why Rafael would make this suggestion.

“You know?”

He doesn’t elaborate any further. Once they got together, they dropped all the pretense in favour of complete honesty with each other. Sure, the banter is still there, it’s a defining feature of their relationship, but when it really matters they communicate their thoughts and feelings openly and without deflection.

“Yeah. Rita called to tell me about the altercation.”

“ _Rita_?” Sonny sputters. At the reminder of Calhoun’s performance earlier today, he can feel the anger rising again. “Did she also tell you about the part she played?”

Rafael sighs.

“Yes, Sonny, she did. I know it’s not much comfort, but you should know that she’s fully aware what she’s doing. It may not seem that way, but she’s not one of the bad ones. Rita knows she defends rapists and murderers and God knows what else, she doesn’t believe in their innocence any more than you do, despite what she says when you talk plea deals.”

Rafael is right, it’s not comforting at all.

Sonny huffs and can’t help but snap, “then why does she do it in the first place?”

“She does it because it’s her job, and because she’s good at it. This is the path she’s chosen and she’ll stick to her decisions come what may.”

That kind of dogged determination, tinged with no small amount of fatalism, sounds very familiar to Sonny, and he’s once again reminded that Calhoun and his partner go way back all the way to Harvard Law.

“Yeah, I get that. But seriously, Rafi, you’ve known her for years and you’ve gone nine rounds against her more times than I can count. Doesn’t it frustrate you at least sometimes that she represents the worst kind of people?”

“Yes.” Sonny can hear the resignation in Rafael’s voice. “Yes, it’s frustrating, because I know she’s a good person. Because I do wish sometimes she would have stayed a prosecutor. But it was her choice, and I couldn’t change her mind. We all have our issues and our demons to contend with.”

There is a hint of finality in Rafael’s last sentence. Sonny can guess there is more to be said on the matter of Rita Calhoun’s demons, but he also knows that Rafi won’t tell him anything else – he won’t betray Rita’s confidence, not when Sonny doesn’t really need to know.

“I hear ya, Rafi. Don’t worry, I won’t press any further.”

“I know you won’t, soleado,” Rafi says, his voice growing softer. “She’s an old friend, but you’re my partner, and I can’t have you thinking that anyone of our acquaintances would believe the stuff Gallagher said about you. Because it’s not true.”

Sonny lets out a brittle laugh.

“It kind of is, though. What’s Fordham against an Ivy League education? What’s Staten Island against the Hamptons and the whole East Coast upper class tradition? And what was I thinking, going against a sitting judge when I haven’t even been an ADA for a year?”

“You were thinking of the victims, and of all the ways Gallagher hurt them. You were thinking of the codes of law he broke, and that such a man should never become Attorney General,” Rafael says firmly, but it’s not enough to calm Sonny down.

“A fat lot of good it’ll do them if this goes nowhere, I’ll just have ruined their lives and ours as well.”

“But it _will_ go somewhere, Sonny, it know it will! Because you’re everything Gallagher’s not – honest, and hard-working, and _kind_! You got to where you are on your own merit, and because you had the support of your family. You have so many people who love you for who you are, not for what your last name is or what you can do for people. People like Gallagher will never understand, because they’re hyper-privileged racists, and they lash out at anyone who doesn’t fit in their elitist world.”

Rafael takes a deep breath, and continues, gently, “I know he hurt you but you can’t let him. There’s no way of reasoning with these people, you can only fight and rise above their prejudice. Gallagher’s wrong, mi amor, and you’ll make everyone see that.”

Sonny exhales a shaky breath.

“I guess you know a thing or two about going up against entitled assholes, huh?”

Rafael chuckles lightly.

“I do. That’s how I know that their words shouldn’t matter to us. Our greatest strength lies in the depth of our roots, not in how far our branches reach. And your roots are strong, Sonny, and they’ll always keep you grounded.”

Wow.

Sonny’s well aware that his partner has an unparalleled way with words, but whenever Rafi shows him the true depth of his emotions, Sonny has to try hard to not just swoon like a lovesick teenager. Except that he is lovesick for Rafi, always has been.

“Thank you. For saying this. For reminding me,” he rasps out, his voice betraying just how affected he is by Rafi’s words.

“Of course, querido. Anything to remind you that you are loved. That _I_ love you.”

They’re silent for another moment, just feeling the other’s presence on the other end of the line. Eventually, Rafael clears his throat.

“So, what about dinner then? Should I order the usual?”

“Yeah,” Sonny replies, “I’ll be home as soon as I can. Oh, and get extra _tostones_?”

Rafi laughs. “Of course. I’d never forget the _tostones_. See you in two hours then?”

“Yeah,” Sonny says, happy once again. “See you soon, Rafi.”


End file.
